Philippians 4:4

Square

“May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!”

I am a child of God. I am saved by Jesus’ blood. I am always joyful.

Have you ever seen a sad Christian? It’s a pitiful sight. Especially because we have nothing to be sad about. We have no reason to walk around with drooped shoulders and gloomy faces. We are saved! Hallelujah! Christ is risen and he will come again. Because of Jesus and our union with him, we have eternal life with our Father in heaven.

“No one goes to the Father except by me.” – John 14:6

We should wake up every morning with smiles on our faces and praises on our lips for how fortunate and blessed we are to know that death means nothing to us and has no hold on us.

Look around you. Yes, right now. Look up from your screen. Everything you see, everything you have, the Lord has created and given to you. All your blessings should fill you with joy, each moment of every day! Even when you experience hardship or go through troublesome times, the Lord is waiting for you on the other side with open arms.

When going through hard moments in life, I often find that a little retrospective thought helps. It shows me how God is working to make me a better and stronger person. And I rejoice because He is a God who cares about us. He cares about you! If He didn’t care, He would’ve abandoned us. He wouldn’t constantly be trying to correct us. Much like when a parent disciplines a child or corrects them; it’s because they care.

A few study Bibles comment that Paul’s entire letter to the Philippians can be summed up in this one verse. Throughout the epistle, Paul repeatable writes about joy and rejoicing (in the Lord). This shows the apostle’s remarkable spirit to keep telling others to rejoice, especially given his circumstances – by this time Paul had given up all earthly possessions and was actually imprisoned for his faith and beliefs. But still Paul tells others to be joyful in the Lord. He sacrificed everything for his faith, and he is still filled with joy. So, if someone in prison can find joy, then so can you.

The word ‘always’ is also quite significant. Our earthly happiness is often dependent on our external circumstances – the places we find ourselves, or the people around us and how they make us feel. These feelings, though, are fleeting and change as our environment and circumstances change. But the Lord never changes. He is constant. And so to be glad in Him, to rejoice in Him, is something permanent.

Our joy in the Lord should be forever, regardless of our situations. And that brings us back around to my opening point. As Christians who believe in Christ and God, we have no real reason to not be joyful. In fact, it is our duty to always be joyful.